Scarlet Descent
Ch. 63 - The Blooming of the Rose

After setting a life goal, everything felt different.

Even waking up in the morning came half an hour earlier than usual.

Wei Wei carefully took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and put on the SpongeBob underwear that Lucky Sister had given him. Fortunately, she had gifted him two pairs back then; otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to deal with it now. The only issue was that the quality of these cheap street-market underwear wasn’t great—they faded a little.

But it didn’t matter. Once all the color faded, there’d be nothing left to fade anymore.

Feeling energized, he went downstairs. Skipping breakfast, he stepped on the gas and drove straight to the base.

On the way, he pondered where to start searching for clues about his beloved Blood-Flesh Rose. Although he had already asked several people for help last night, sitting idly waiting felt unbearable—he needed to take action himself.

Perhaps starting with the simplest place—the archives—would be best?

If that Blood-Flesh Rose still existed somewhere in Scrap Iron City , there might be some mention of it in the records.

“Ah, Little Wei is finally here…”

Lost in thought as he entered the base, Wei Wei was greeted by Brother Zhu Zai’s excited gaze.

Brother Zhu Zai was already seated at the table, eagerly presenting a plate of pancakes wrapped around sauced meat. Beside it was a bowl of pork offal soup garnished with fragrant scallions—the aroma was mouthwatering.

“Thank you, Brother Zhu Zai.”

Wei Wei sat down at the table without needing to lift a finger; Brother Zhu Zai had already brought over chopsticks, a spoon, and some pickled vegetables.

“Where’s the Captain and everyone else?”

Wei Wei asked curiously while eating, glancing around: “Out again?”

Ever since he started patrolling the streets, it seemed like the team had gotten busier too. The days when everyone gathered around one table for meals or played ball together were becoming rare. Almost every senior team member had tasks assigned and often went out—except for Brother Zhu Zai.Whether it was during the Black Goat summoning demon incident or the Big-Headed Little Girl case, Brother Zhu zai remained steadfastly at the base every day, cooking meals and tidying up.

Wei Wei speculated that it might have something to do with follow-ups from the Big-Headed Little Girl case. He wondered if these senior members were planning some grand scheme. In the past, such things would’ve tempted him greatly. But now, he had more important matters to attend to.

“The others went out; the Captain hasn’t come yet, maybe he’s still sleeping?”

Zhu Zai glanced toward the Captain’s office-slash-bedroom before handing Wei Wei another pancake roll with a smile: “Eat more.”

“No problem.”

Wei Wei looked at what was left in the basket and said: “I’ll take care of all of it and even pack some for lunch while patrolling.”

“Oh my…”

Brother Zhu Zai’s eyes lit up with excitement: “I’ll make you fresh ones for lunch!”

“Brother Zhu Zai, you’re too kind…”

“No, no—you’re kinder…”

The two exchanged knowing smiles as if they’d found kindred spirits in each other.

That said, Wei Wei did feel like his teammates had been treating him better lately. Uncle Gun (Chen Qiang), though busy, occasionally dragged him to play billiards—and clearly held back so as not to crush him too badly. Lucky Sister didn’t even bother saying hello; she just used team funds to pay three months of his rent in advance… The handsome Little Lin observed him for a while last time and gifted him a men’s moisturizer…

As for Captain Ouyang his concern was even more evident—he once secretly invited Wei Wei out for a stroll. But unexpectedly, as soon as he made the suggestion, everyone in the courtyard started giving strange looks: Uncle Gun and Little Lin looked worried and subtly shook their heads at Wei Wei; Brother Zhu Zai appeared terrified and hesitant to speak; Lucky Sister went upstairs without a word and returned with a shotgun—promptly aiming it at Captain Ouyang without hesitation.

Captain Ouyang fled in disgrace, lamenting his lost opportunity for deeper bonding with his subordinate.

…How should one put it? Wei Wei always felt like his teammates were showing him more care and affection lately. After finishing breakfast, Brother Zhu Zai declined Wei Wei’s offer to help wash dishes. So Wei Wei quietly approached Captain Ouyang’s office window instead—half-worried about seeing something he shouldn’t—and prepared himself to feign surprise if necessary.

Peeking inside through the window… disappointment struck instantly—there was nothing unusual. Captain Ouyang was already up and had slicked back his hair early in the morning. He sat in an imposing swivel chair while fiddling with an old pocket watch and speaking seriously on the phone.

Thinking it might involve work secrets, Wei Wei decided to step aside quietly.

But then he overheard Captain Ouyang raising his voice sharply:

“No way.”

His tone grew louder:

“Yesterday I only called three girls over—and one of them I even had to call ‘Big Sis.’ Why are you charging me for four people?”

“Huh?”

“You’re saying Big Sis counts as two because of her seniority?”

“Ridiculous! Ask around any venue in Scrap Iron City—who doesn’t know I’m twenty-eight this year?”

“Bah! I won’t pay…”

“What?! You’re threatening to blacklist me from all red-light districts?!”

Wei Wei panicked momentarily and tried retreating stealthily—only for Captain Ouyang to slam down his phone abruptly before turning toward his office door with a stern expression: “Little Wei! I was just discussing work matters—you’re here because…?”

“Good morning, Captain!”

Wei Wei saluted hastily before explaining: “I have something to request.”

“A request?”

Captain Ouyang seemed flustered: “Haven’t you been doing well patrolling lately?”

“Yes.”

Wei Wei smiled: “But besides patrolling duties, I’d like access to some base records—for better understanding of our work.”

“Sigh…”

Captain Ouyang sighed deeply: “Young people shouldn’t always focus on work—the outside world is still wonderful…” But despite his words, he tossed over a keychain adorned with a red high-heel pendant: “Feel free to browse low-level files in the archive room—but mid-level ones require formal promotion first; high-level files need my explicit approval.”

“Thank you very much!”

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